List Of Hobbies (Ultimate List Of Hobbies To Try Or Pick Up) in 2022

Hobbies Meaning

What is a Hobby

A hobby is an activity done consistently in one’s leisure or spare time for enjoyment or fun. It is always done outside of one’s regular occupation or career. You can spend your leisure time anyhow you like but it is advisable to spend it wisely to help you become more successful, happier, and healthier.

Examples of hobbies are stamp collecting, bird watching, blogging, writing, card collecting, Lego collecting, coin collecting, dancing, and many others. Although hobbies can be pursued by anyone, there are hobbies for men, women, children, and even groups, depending on whether you are an introvert or an extrovert.

 The term hobby comes from the word “hobyn” meaning “small horse and pony”.

We treat hobbies here not in the sense of wasting your time unproductively doing non-essential activities, but to develop yourself. You can engage in personal development, make extra money, connect socially with other people, focus on your health and even develop new skills to improve your professional life.

Who is a Hobbyist?

A hobbyist is any person who loves and pursues a specific activity in their free time. These activities could be creative, physical, indoor or outdoor, or mentally challenging.

Hobbies Vs Interest

A hobby is different from an interest. A Hobby is an activity you purposely pursue and engage in. This means you actually do the activity. However, you can have an interest in an activity without doing it. Therefore, it remains an interest and not a hobby. For example, if you want to start hiking, but you have not started yet, it remains an interest and not a hobby.

Why hobbies are important — the importance of having a hobby

Ever wondered why you should have hobbies? We have an ocean of things to do – We have work, school, family, and depending on who you are religious activities to perform. Life seems to be full of “do that do that”.

Our hobbies however provide us with the opportunity to escape from the hustle of our everyday experiences and offer us the chance to relax, unwind and focus our minds on benefit-loaded activities other than work. We get to connect with others, build skills and engage in things healthy for our minds and bodies.  There are also numerous research studies on why people should have hobbies. Here are proven reasons why you should have a hobby.

Benefits of Having a Hobby

1. Hobbies help us to build new social connections.

 Through our hobbies, we get to go out more in our communities and meet new people we can share our passions with. Being social has been connected to happiness and having a meaningful life. A study done by the University of Texas at Austin shows that social connection is critical to your physical and mental wellbeing. If you are a man, your hobby can help you meet the girl of your dreams.

2. Hobbies help you cope with stress.

 We are surrounded by stress-inducing factors – your controlling boss, loads of work to do, etc. However, imagine coming back from work and instead of using television as a distraction, heading to your painting class and you will have a meaningful way of distracting yourself from your worries.

Hobbies are really efficient ways of focusing your mind on other activities aside from your occupation or career.

3. Hobbies make you a more interesting person.

There is nothing more painful than being with a boring person. Yes! A boring person. Your hobbies however make you less boring in conversations because you have a lot of fun stuff to talk about.

Your hobbies also help improve your perception of yourself and you become an inspiration to others as well.

4. Hobbies can help lower your anxiety and beat depression.

A lot of people suffer from mental health issues worldwide. Whether it is from childhood trauma, relationship breakups, or even illness, having a hobby to focus on has been proven to help you focus on the positive side of life.

Studies done by the Department of Psychology (S.D.P.) of the University of Kansas show that engaging in enjoyable spare time activities has a major positive effect on your mental and physical wellbeing.

Types of Hobbies

Hobbies come in different types, but most of them can be found in two or more domains. For example, to someone hiking can be physical and community-oriented if done in a group.

Physical Hobbies

These kinds of hobbies are active and are very good for our bodies and minds. Physical hobbies examples include Weight lifting, hiking, running, walking, cycling, and mountain biking among others. They can either be outdoor or indoor.

Creative Hobbies

If you are looking at the creative side of you, these types of hobbies can help you feel more accomplished. They include activities like writing, cooking, painting, and photography. Just like physical hobbies, they either be done indoors or outdoors.

Community Oriented Hobbies

These types of hobbies are done within a community by its members or a group of like-minded people who meet together to share their passions and ideas. These groups can be book clubs, cycling groups, painting or dancing groups, and running clubs. Also, check out our article on some Eco-Friendly hobbies to positively impact your community.

Mental/Cerebral Hobbies

Mental hobbies as the name suggest that these types of hobbies are mentally challenging. They include chess games, reading, and puzzles like sudoku and nonograms.

Collecting Hobbies

Collecting hobbies involves looking for specific items, organizing, cataloging, and storing them. It has become very popular over the years. Here are some things people collect. There are various types of collecting hobbies depending on the object of focus. Some of the most popular ones are coin collecting, Lego collecting, Stamp collecting, and baseball card collection.

23 Things to collect as a hobby

• Coins and paper money
• Door Knobs
• Stamps
• Baseball Cards
• Music Boxes
• Rocks and Crystals
• Trains
• Teddy Bears
• Wines
• Vinyl
• Antiques
• Silverware
• Jewelry
• Cars
• Comic Books
• Legos
• Dolls
• Action Figures
• Keys
• Maps
• Post Cards
• Recipes and Recipe books
• Autographs

Hobby Ideas or Ultimate List of Hobbies

Whether you want to be inspired, motivated, break the boredom, or just want to enjoy yourself, there are hobbies for any kind of purpose. Check out our post on how to find a hobby.

Here I have provided an all-around list of hobbies you can pick from and engage in.

Physical Hobbies

Physical hobbies are hobbies that require mostly the use of your body. These hobbies keep you in shape and strengthen your mind as well.

• Hiking
• Hunting
• Walking
• Running
• Basketball
• Baseball
• Boxing
• Kickboxing
• Volleyball
• Swimming
• Tai chi
• Dancing
• Bowling
• Ice hockey
• Surfing
• Tennis
• Baseball
• Gymnastics
• Rock climbing
• Dancing
• Gardening
• Karate
• Horseback riding
• Ice skating
• Snowboarding
• Snowmobiling
• Snowshoeing
• Skateboarding
• Cheerleading
• Archery
• Fishing
• Taekwondo
• Fencing
• Water skiing
• Kickboxing
• Orienteering
• Table tennis
• Golfing
• Mountaineering
• Canyoneering
• Cave exploration
• Yoga
• Trail running
• Kayaking
• Water rafting
• Roller skating
• Bushcraft
• Beachcombing
• Tree climbing
• Paintball

Creative Hobbies

These hobbies demand you think in varied ways in order to complete your projects. They can be done alone if you are an introvert or as part of a community of like-minded people. They are great for your brain health.

• Leather crafting
• Cooking
• Writing
• Knitting
• Woodworking
• Drone piloting
• Landscape painting
• Acrylic painting
• Oil painting
• Drawing
• Sewing
• Calligraphy
• Photography
• Learning to sing
• Learning to play a musical instrument
• Pottery
• Sculpting
• Origami
• Metal detecting
• Stargazing
• Coding
• Hairstyling
• Poetry writing
• Scrapbooking
• Journaling
• Embroidery
• Crochet
• Quilting
• Acting
• Fashion designing
• Collage making
• Making dolls
• Rock tumbling
• Starting a blog
• Starting a YouTube channel

Mental Hobbies

Mental hobbies are like brain enhancers. They can make you smarter and make very good hobbies for your resume.

• Reading
• Crossword puzzles
• Sudoku
• Learning a new language
• Volunteering
• Starting a podcast
• Quote collecting
• Listening to music

Collecting hobbies

Collecting hobbies are not only fun but they make both good exercise and brain improvement activity. They involve a lot of moving around and require clear and focused concentration to locate, collect, organize and catalog your findings. Here is a list of collecting hobbies you can try…..

• Coin collecting
• Stamp collecting
• Lego collecting
• Baseball cards
• Autographs
• Recipes
• Action figures
• Dolls
• Model cars
• CDs and DVDs
• Video games

Hobbies for men

Even though any hobby can be picked up by anybody irrespective of your gender, there are hobbies more manly than others. Here is a list of manly hobbies for you gentlemen to help you have a more rounded life…

• Martial Arts
• Running
• Cycling
• Rock Climbing
• Mountaineering
• Cave exploration
• Archery
• Hunting
• Snowboarding
• Skateboarding
• Snowshoeing
• Ice skating
• Horseback riding
• Drone Piloting
• Video Gaming
• Coding
• Fishing
• Boxing
• Bodybuilding
• Writing
• Bushcraft
• Camping
• Playing golf
• Playing tennis
• Hiking
• Orienteering
• Woodworking
• Wielding
• Beard Grooming
• Scuba Diving
• Rock collecting
• Coin collecting
• Vintage card collection
• Baseball
• Basketball
• Skydiving
• Plumbing
• Bowling
• Paintball
• Surfing
• Go-Kart racing
• Puzzle

Hobbies for men in their 30s

Your 30s are the best times in your life to experience and enjoy life. Developing a new skill or habit is a very good way to keep your mind and body engaged. Below are some of the best hobbies to pick up in your 30s.

• Reading
• Home renovation
• Jogging
• Film Photography
• Beekeeping
• Chess
• Fishing
• Investing
• Watch collection
• Landscaping
• Genealogy
• Car restoration
• Astronomy
• Sculpting
• Canoeing and kayaking
• Vintage card collection

Hobbies for men over 50

Being over 50 doesn’t mean the end of all activities for you. It is at this stage of your life you should stay active and fit both mentally and physically to improve your health. Here are some of the best hobbies to pick up in their 50s.

• Reading
• Learn a new language
• Weight lifting
• Learn to cook
• Birding
• Astronomy
• Board games
• Origami
• Model building
• Foraging
• Quote collection

Hobbies for women

Much like manly hobbies, there are also hobbies generally preferred by women to others. If you are looking for hobbies of that nature, here is a list of some of them.

These hobbies for women are very beneficial to your health and a great escape from your everyday experiences.

• Cooking
• Yoga
• Writing
• Painting
• Dancing
• Scrapbooking
• Gardening
• Jewelry making
• Calligraphy
• Sewing
• Knitting
• Cosplay
• Journaling
• Learning to sing
• Toy collection
• Dog walking
• Floral arrangement
• Embroidery
• Creating ceramic poetry
• Quilting
• Interior designing
• Jogging
• Baking

Hobbies for stay-at-home moms to make money

Although you are a mom taking care of your child at home, it still doesn’t mean you can’t have a hobby or even one that can make you some extra cash.

Here are some of the best hobbies for stay-at-home moms to make money.

• Crocheting or Knitting
• Quilting
• Cake decoration
• Making mugs
• Stating a blog
• Freelance writing
• Soap making
• Baking
• pottery
• Teach others your craft

Hobbies for Women Over 50

From what I have seen in the lives of many women I know personally and online age is just a number. Women are passionate about any hobby that is fun and beneficial to their health.

If you are over 50, here are some of the best hobbies to try out.

• Meditation
• Writing your story as a learning aid for the younger ones
• Brain Teasers/ Jigsaw puzzles
• Learn a new language
• Board games
• Origami
• Start coloring

Hobbies for your resume

Hobbies speak a lot about a person. They show how creative, dedicated and you are able to deal with difficult tasks. Hobbies for one make you are more interesting person even if you don’t have much experience.

Here are some of the good hobbies to put on your resume or cv to increase your chances of landing a job.

• Writing
• Woodworking
• Learning a new language
• Coding
• Playing a new instrument
• Volunteering and community service
• Exercising
• Traveling

Hobbies to do alone

If you are an introvert or just someone who prefers to engage in activities alone, then here are some of the best hobbies to do by yourself.

• Learn to play a new instrument
• Listen to podcast
• Writing
• Cooking or baking
• Playing puzzles
• Take an online class
• Meditate
• Learn a new language
• Reading a book

Hobbies to do as a couple

As couples, doing activities together can strengthen your relationships and help you to connect with each other more intimately. These activities will you guys have fun and expand your horizons.

Below are some of the best hobbies for couples to do together.

Indoor hobbies for couples

• Dancing
• Baking
• Learning a new language together
• Gardening
• Playing video games together
• DIY Projects

Outdoor hobbies for couples

• Running
• Cycling
• Hiking
• Swimming
• Paintball
• Volunteer together
• Kayaking or canoeing
• Travel together

Hobbies to beat depression and anxiety

Hobbies are not activities to cross out on your to-do list. They have amazing benefits for both body and mind. If you happen to be a victim of depression or anxiety, then hobbies can help you feel better.

Here are some of the best hobbies to help you fight anxiety and depression.

• Photography
• Writing
• Drawing and Painting
• Dancing
• Volunteering and community service
• Yoga
• Meditation
• Cooking
• Hiking